Monday, February 1, 2016

Weekend Box Office: The Finest Hours

Here is an interesting article from http://www.debbieschlussel.com/reviewing some of the movies that came out over the past weekend. This followsthis postabout some of the movies from last week and THIS POST about some movies that have been released over the past few years that you might have missed! This all follows this post about guidelines to choosing good movies to watch yourself!

It’s rare that Hollywood makes and releases a patriotic, pro-American
movie in which White men aren’t evil, racist, greedy villains, but
heroic, good Americans who risk their lives to save others. “The Finest Hours,” in theaters today, is that movie. (I did not see “Kung Fu Panda 3” as the screening was on a Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.)
Chris Pine is Boatsman Swain First Class Bernie Webber of the U.S.
Coast Guard who is from and stationed in Massachusetts in 1952. A
couple of large oil tankers off the Cape Cod coast are stuck in the
middle of a horrible nor’easter storm and blizzard and their crews are
desperately in need of rescue. The movie focuses on the crew of the
Pendleton, which actually split in half in the Ocean and quickly took on
water. Webber is repeatedly warned by his fellow Coast Guard members
and his commanding officer (Eric Bana) that it’s too dangerous to go out
and rescue the crew and that he should wait until morning. But he
insists on going out into the incredibly violent sea and gargantuan
waves in the darkness of the middle of the night, risking his life to
save the men on the ship. Many say that this is “the Coast Guard’s most
daring rescue.”
“The Finest Hours” is a tale of bravery and about how average
American men perform well above average–heroically–to save others.
That’s something that is at the same time uncommon but also exemplary of
the brave American men who’ve served in every branch of the American
military and every war. And this movie, too, is a true story.
Stay for the credits, as the real-life heroes of the movie are shown
onscreen (as well as information regarding what happened to them).
And while Pine as Webber goes to rescue the men in harrowing stormy
scenes, we also see how the men on the ship survive, which is also
heroic. Casey Affleck plays Ray Sybert, one of the crew of the
Pendleton. He warns the men against taking life boats and leaving the
ship, saying they will die if they do so. And he needs them if he is
going to keep the ship from quickly sinking before they are rescued.
The movie shows how Sybert uses science and engineering skills to create
a lever with the boats machinery and help keep it afloat. But water is
pouring in and the boat can only last for so long–how long, they don’t
exactly know, and the disaster keeps getting worse.
I saw this movie in 3-D, and it was as if I were there. The scenes
of the damage and disaster that occurs on the boat while the crew tries
to survive, are incredibly real–so real it almost gave me a heart
attack. Ditto for the mammoth waves rolling on the ocean surface as
Pine/Webber’s relatively tiny rescue motorboat tries to navigate them.
In the backdrop of all of this, there is a romance between
Pine/Webber and Miriam (Holliday Grainger), a girl he begins dating. I
could’ve done without this story, even though it is true. Miriam asks
Bernie to marry her. And on top of that, she approaches his commanding
officer to ask his permission (something Bernie is told is necessary by
his fellow Coast Guard mates). I know Hollywood loves feminism and
women assuming the behavior of men, but I didn’t like it. And I didn’t
like her.
Another minor reservation I had with the movie is that parts of it
move a little slowly. But through most of it, it’s thrilling,
suspenseful, and very realistic. Lots of “action” in terms of what the
men on the ship must do to survive and the wild ride the Coast Guard
members take on the angry, stormy sea.
I liked that this movie shows what the U.S. Coast Guard does, as it
is often an unsung organization, and I believe few Americans understand
everything the Coast Guard does.
Again, this is a tale of American heroism–one that Hollywood usually doesn’t like to tell.
The movie is rated PG-13, and is fine to take your whole family to see.THREE REAGANSWatch the trailer . . .